FWIW, It is entirely possible to carry enough gear for camping and cooking and still hold it to 8 pounds by using ultralight backpacking techniques. . That would assume not counting water or food (which is bought daily and preferably close to where it is consumed) in the weight.

I typically take a few luxuries so I am more often carrying 11-15 pounds, but 8 is doable even without buying a lot of expensive cuben fiber do-dads. Even going coast to coast during cool weather (trip low of 18 F, lots of nights with frost) I found 14 pounds of stuff adequate.